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Simonds students help sick kids

Students at Simonds Elementary school in Langley raised $746.25 for the Kids Change Star Bank Program this year.

They were among 13 schools in B.C. which participated in the Make-A-Wish Foundation of BC and Yukon “Kids Change” program.

The charity raises money to grant wishes to kids aged three to 17, who are battling life-threatening medical conditions.

It is the second year of the Kids Change program. In its first year, it raised over $17,000. This year, the total increased to $25,594.

“The program is growing by leaps and bounds,” said Kids for Wish Kids program coordinator Kim Fujisawa, who is hoping to get more Langley schools involved next year.

The students collected change in star-shaped banks over the school year and then turned them in April 29 on World Wish Day, which marks the anniversary of the first wish ever granted by the foundation.

They get to keep the banks.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation was founded in 1980 in Phoenix. A group of volunteers helped a seriously-ill young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer.

It is now the largest wish-granting charity in the world and the BC & Yukon Chapter was the first chapter formed outside of the United States.

Since 1983, the B.C. chapter has made over 1,400 wishes come true for children.

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